CN101547503A - Power management method of wireless network device and power manager thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The power management method applied to the wireless network device comprises the following steps: when the wireless network device is started up by a power supply, periodically detecting whether the wireless network device is operated in an off-line state or not so as to determine whether to enter a first power saving mode or not; and when the wireless network device is operated in an on-line state, determining whether the wireless network device enters a second power saving mode according to the information in the beacon received by the wireless network device. If the wireless network device is detected to be operated in the off-line state, the wireless network device is controlled to enter the first power saving mode.

Description

Power management method of wireless network device and power manager thereof

technical field

The present invention relates to a power management method and its power manager, in particular to a power management method and its power manager applied to a wireless network device.

Background technique

In recent years, the popularization and reasonable price of computers and network equipment have prompted the establishment of local area networks to grow substantially and continuously. The network can connect terminals of different users in different locations, so that digital data can be circulated and transmitted quickly and efficiently, and various messages, data, and knowledge can also be shared by many users on the network. Especially in recent years, the development of wireless network (wireless local area network, WLAN) can release the shackles of the network transmission line to the terminal, so that the wireless Internet terminal has the characteristics of portable (portable) and mobile (mobile), which can be used anytime, anywhere Provides users with the ability to access network resources.

Power consumption has always been an important issue to be considered on mobile devices. For mobile workstations, the most critical components of power consumption are wireless network devices including radio frequency circuits and baseband circuits, such as: wireless network Card. However, the current mobile devices on the market require the user to manually save power, but this method is very inconvenient and inefficient for the user.

Contents of the invention

In view of the above, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a power management method and a power manager applied to a wireless network device, which can dynamically adjust the power consumption of the wireless network device, so as to solve the problems in the prior art.

One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a power management method and power manager applied to wireless network devices, which can automatically Adjust the power consumption of the wireless network device accordingly.

One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a power management method and power manager applied to wireless network devices, which can dynamically adjust the wireless network according to the information in the beacon when the wireless network device is operating in the online state power consumption of the device.

The present invention discloses a power management method, which is applied to a wireless network device. The wireless network device operates in an offline state or an online state. The power management method includes: when the wireless network device is powered on, periodically Detecting whether the wireless network device is operating in the offline state to determine whether to enter a first power saving mode; wherein, if it is detected that the wireless network device is operating in the offline state, controlling the wireless network device to enter the first power saving mode mode; and when the wireless network device operates in the online state, according to the information in the beacon received by the wireless network device, to determine whether the wireless network device enters the second power saving mode.

The invention discloses a power manager suitable for controlling the power mode of a wireless network device. The wireless network device is operated in an offline state or an online state. The power manager includes a detection unit and a power mode control unit. The detection unit detects the operation state of the wireless network device to generate a detection result. The power mode control unit is coupled to the detection unit for controlling the power mode of the wireless network device according to the detection result of the detection unit. Wherein, when the detection result of the detection unit indicates that the wireless network device is operating in the offline state, the power mode control unit controls the wireless network device to enter the first power saving mode; and when the detection result of the detection unit indicates that the When the wireless network device is operating in the online state, the wireless network device is controlled to enter the second power saving mode according to the information in the beacon received by the wireless network device.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a first operation example of a power management method applied to a wireless network device according to the present invention.

2A and 2B are detailed step-by-step flow charts of the steps of entering the non-connected power saving mode and the steps of leaving the non-connected power saving mode in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the time points of entering and leaving the offline power saving mode in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a second operation example of the power management method applied to a wireless network device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the time points of entering and leaving the connected idle power saving mode in FIG. 4 .

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention applied to a power manager of a wireless network device.

[Description of main component labels]

102～138, 210～212, 220～222, 402～422 steps

IPS Offline Power Saving Mode

LPS Online Idle Power Saving Mode

TIM, DTIM Delivery traffic indication message

600 mobile devices

610 Wireless network device

620 Fundamental frequency circuit

630 radio frequency circuit

650 Power Manager

660 detection unit

670 Power Mode Control Unit

690 host controller

S1 operating state

DR1 Test result

Detailed ways

The wireless network devices mentioned in the following embodiments can be used in wireless communication products such as wireless network cards and wireless base stations, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and can also be used in other wireless communication products. An electronic device that has a network interface and can be connected to a wireless network. And the wireless network device can establish a connection with a wireless network base station (WLAN AP) or a workstation (Station) in the wireless local area network (Wireless LAN), and can transmit and receive wireless signals to perform operations such as transmitting data and messages.

Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a flowchart of the first operation example of the power management method applied to wireless network devices according to the present invention, which includes (but is not limited to) the following steps (please note that if substantially the same As a result, these steps do not necessarily have to be performed in the order of execution shown in Figure 1):

Step 102: Power on the wireless network device.

Step 104: The wireless network device is in an offline state.

Step 106: Detect the operation state of the wireless network device to generate a detection result. When the detection result indicates that the operating state is a scanning state, execute step 110; when the detection result indicates that the operating state is an online state, execute step 120; otherwise, execute step 130.

Step 110: Perform a scanning procedure. Go back to step 104.

Step 120: Determine whether a matching service set identifier (Service Set Identifier, SSID) is found. When a matching service group identification code is found, execute step 122; otherwise, return to step 104.

Step 122: Perform online procedure.

Step 124: Go online.

Step 130: Execute the procedure of entering the power saving mode.

Step 132: Automatically control the power consumption mode of the wireless network device to enter an inactive power save (IPS) mode.

Step 134: Detect the operation state of the wireless network device to generate a detection result. When the detection result indicates that the operating state is the scanning state or the online state, execute step 136 ; otherwise, return to step 132 .

Step 136: Execute the procedure of leaving the power saving mode.

Step 138 : Automatically control the wireless network device to leave the offline power saving mode. When the detection result indicates that the operating state is a scanning state, return to step 110; when the detection result indicates that the operating state is an online state, return to step 120.

After the wireless network device is activated, it is assumed that the wireless network device is in an offline state at the beginning (steps 102-104). At this time, the detection unit periodically detects the operation state of the wireless network device to generate a detection result (step 106 ). Next, three cases are described: in the first case, when the detection result indicates that the operating state is a scanning state, a scanning procedure is performed (step 110 ). In the second case, when the detection result indicates that the operation status is the online status, execute the online program to enter the online status (steps 120-124). In the third case, when the operating state is the offline state, the firmware can automatically/actively control the power consumption mode of the wireless network device to enter the offline power saving mode (steps 130-132). In addition, after entering the offline power saving mode, if an instruction to scan or connect is received, the wireless network device is automatically controlled to leave the offline power saving mode (steps 134-138).

Please note that the above-mentioned offline state refers to the wireless network device not performing any scanning or online operations, that is, the idle state; and the online state includes the online procedures and online states mentioned in steps 120-124. In addition, the above-mentioned operating state does not only refer to the current operating state of the wireless network device, but also covers the state of the wireless network device at a next point in time. For example, when the wireless network device receives a command to connect to the base station or the workstation, the detected operation state at this time is the connection state.

The above-mentioned example is only used to illustrate the application of the present invention, and is not a limitation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that, without violating the spirit of the present invention, the steps of the flow process in Fig. 1 can add other intermediate steps. or several steps can be combined into a single step. For example, step 132 and step 138 may each include other detailed steps. Please refer to FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a detailed flow chart of the step of entering the offline power saving mode (step 132 ) and the step of leaving the offline power saving mode (step 138 ) in FIG. 1 .

As shown in FIG. 2A, step 132 of FIG. 1 also includes the following steps:

Step 210: Turn off at least one of the baseband circuit and the radio frequency circuit of the wireless network device.

Step 212 : Tell the host controller of the USB device to close the pipe to stop the polling mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 2B, step 138 of FIG. 1 also includes the following steps:

Step 220: Restart at least one of the baseband circuit and the radio frequency circuit of the wireless network device.

Step 222 : Tell the host controller of the USB device to open the pipe to restart the polling mechanism.

The above-mentioned steps 210-212 and steps 220-222 are only used to illustrate the application of the present invention, and are not limitations of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that, without violating the spirit of the present invention, other capable The step of entering the non-connected power saving mode (step 132 ) and the step of leaving the non-connected power saving mode (step 138 ) are practiced in a manner that achieves the same purpose and is consistent with the spirit of the present disclosure. It is worth noting that after the wireless network device enters the offline power-saving mode, power-consuming components such as baseband circuits and radio frequency circuits must be turned off to reduce power consumption. In addition, if the wireless network device is installed in a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device, since the polling mechanism of the USB device also consumes a certain amount of power, after the wireless network device enters the offline power saving mode , the present invention further informs the host controller to close the pipe (for example: BulkIN Pipe) to stop the polling mechanism, so that more power saving effect can be achieved.

Please refer to FIG. 3 , which is a schematic diagram illustrating the time points of entering and leaving the offline power saving mode in FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, for the time point of entering the offline power saving mode, when the wireless network device is started, the system (for example: Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)) will periodically detect the wireless network device Whether to operate in the offline state to confirm whether to enter the offline power saving mode. In this embodiment, the detection will be performed once every two seconds, but the present invention is not limited thereto. When the wireless network device is in the offline state and does not receive any connection or scanning operation, the system will automatically control the power consumption mode of the wireless network device to enter the offline power saving mode. If the confirmed time point is during the scanning process and online process, the system will not start the process of entering the offline power saving mode. In addition, when the wireless network device has established connection with the base station or workstation (online state), the system will not perform the operation of checking whether to enter the offline power saving mode every two seconds. For the time point of leaving the offline power saving mode, when the wireless network device is in the offline power saving mode and the detection result indicates that the operation state is the online state or the scanning state, the system will automatically control the wireless network device to leave the offline power saving mode .

The above-mentioned embodiments are only used to illustrate the application of the present invention, and are not limitations of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that without violating the spirit of the present invention, the timing of entering and leaving the off-line power-saving mode Various variations are possible.

Of course, the above-mentioned disconnected power saving mode is only an implementation example of the present invention. In other embodiments, more power saving mechanisms can be designed in the wireless network device to achieve more power saving goals. Please refer to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a second operation example of the power management method applied to a wireless network device according to the present invention, which includes (but is not limited to) the following steps:

Step 402: The wireless network device is in an online state.

Step 404: Detect the operation state of the wireless network device to generate a detection result. When the wireless network device is in the online state and the detection result indicates that the operation state is the non-data transfer state, execute step 410 ; otherwise, execute step 420 .

Step 410: Execute the procedure of entering the power saving mode.

Step 412: Automatically control the wireless network device to enter the connected idle power saving mode (Leisurepower save, LPS). Go back to step 404.

Step 420: Execute the procedure of leaving the power saving mode.

Step 422 ; Automatically control the wireless network device to leave the connected idle power saving mode. Go back to step 404.

Please refer to FIG. 5 , which is a schematic diagram illustrating the time points of entering and leaving the online idle power saving mode in FIG. 4 . In this embodiment, when the wireless network device establishes a connection with the base station or the workstation, the time point of entering and leaving the connected idle power saving mode can be determined according to the information element in the beacon. The above-mentioned information element in the beacon includes a delivery traffic indication message (traffic information message, TIM). Since the delivery traffic indication message is further divided into TIM element and DTIM (delivery traffic information message) element, only DTIM element is attached with data message. Therefore, the number of DTIMs or the DTIM period included in the frame field of the delivery traffic indication message can be used to determine the time point of entering and leaving the connected idle power saving mode. For example, after the wireless network device transmits or receives data and other operations, it will continue to receive the beacon. At this time, since there is no data to be transmitted, the system can automatically control the power consumption mode of the wireless network device to enter the online idle state. electric mode. The time when the wireless network device wakes up (that is, leaves the connected idle power saving mode) to receive broadcast and multicast packets can be determined by the number of DTIMs or the DTIM period in the beacon. In addition, when the wireless network device is used as the transmitting end (Rx) or receiving end (Tx), since there is data to be transmitted or received, the system will automatically control the wireless network device to leave the connected idle power saving mode.

Please note again that the steps of the above processes are not limited to be executed in the order shown in the embodiments, and those skilled in the art may make changes without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. 6 , which is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention applied to a power manager 650 of a wireless network device 610 . In this embodiment, the wireless network device 610 and its power manager 650 are installed in the mobile device 600, such as a notebook computer, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may also be other types of electronic devices, such as: desktop computer. As shown in FIG. 6 , the wireless network device 610 includes a baseband circuit 620 and a radio frequency circuit 630 , and the power manager 650 includes a detection unit 660 and a power mode control unit 670 . The detection unit 660 is used for detecting the operation state S1 of the wireless network device 610 to generate a detection result DR1. The power mode control unit 670 is coupled to the detection unit 660, and is used to automatically control the wireless network device 610 to enter the power saving mode (such as the above-mentioned offline power saving mode IPS or online idle power saving mode) according to the detection result DR1 of the detection unit 660. Mode LPS) or leave the power saving mode, wherein the power consumption of the wireless network device 610 entering the power saving mode is less than the power consumption of the wireless network device 610 leaving the power saving mode. In addition, the power mode control unit 670 will turn off the baseband circuit 620 and/or the radio frequency circuit 630 of the wireless network device 610 when the wireless network device 610 enters the inactive power saving mode (IPS) or the connected idle power saving mode (LPS). power signal or frequency signal, and is used to re-open the power signal of the base frequency circuit 620 and/or radio frequency circuit 630 of the wireless network device 610 when the wireless network device 610 leaves the offline power saving mode or the online idle power saving mode or frequency signal. If the wireless network device 610 is set on the USB device, the power mode control unit 670 is also used to notify the USB device when the wireless network device 610 enters the offline power saving mode or the connected idle power saving mode host controller 690 of the USB device to close the pipe to stop the polling mechanism, and notify the host controller 690 of the USB device to open the pipe when the wireless network device 610 leaves the offline power saving mode or the online idle power saving mode to turn polling back on.

In this embodiment, the power manager 650 and the host controller 690 may be implemented not only by hardware, but also by firmware (such as BIOS). In addition, the power mode control unit 670 can turn off the low noise amplifier (Low Noise Amplifier, LNA) in the baseband circuit 620 when the wireless network device 610 enters the offline power saving mode (IPS) or the online idle power saving mode (LPS). ), power amplifier (Power Amplifier, PA), mixer (Mixer), variable gain amplifier (Variable Gain Amplifier, VGA) and filter (Filter) part or all of the power signal or frequency signal, or close the base frequency circuit 620 The power signal or frequency signal of the modulation circuit in the middle.

Please note that the wireless network device 610 can be a wireless network card, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and can also be other types of wireless network devices. In addition, the details and operations of the internal components of the wireless network device 610 and the power manager 650 in FIG. 6 can be understood by referring to the relevant descriptions of the above-mentioned embodiments. For the sake of brevity, details are not repeated here.

The above-mentioned embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical features of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. As can be seen from the above, the present invention provides a power management method applied to a wireless network device and a related power manager. By detecting the operation status of the wireless network device, the wireless network device can be automatically controlled to enter the power saving mode (the aforementioned offline power saving mode and connected idle power saving mode) or leave the power saving mode. In this way, when the wireless network device is not connected or scanning, it can enter the offline power saving mode to turn off the baseband circuit and the radio frequency circuit of the wireless network device to save power consumption. When the wireless network device is in the online state but not transmitting data, it can also enter the online idle power saving mode to save more power consumption. Furthermore, if the wireless network device is installed in the USB device, after entering the power saving mode, the host controller can be informed to close the pipe to stop the polling mechanism, which can further save power consumption. In addition, the automatic power saving can be achieved by continuously detecting the operating status, which is quite convenient and more efficient for users.

The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all equivalent changes and modifications made according to the claims of the present invention shall fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (19)

1. a method for managing power supply is applied to radio network device, and this radio network device is to operate in not on line state or on line state, and this method for managing power supply includes:

When this radio network device behind power initiation, periodically detect this radio network device and whether operate in this not on line state, whether enter first battery saving mode with decision; Wherein, operate in this not during on line state, control this radio network device and enter this first battery saving mode if detect this radio network device; And

When this radio network device operates in this on line state,, whether enter second battery saving mode to determine this radio network device according to the information in the beacon that this radio network device received.

2. method according to claim 1, wherein control the step that this radio network device enters this first battery saving mode and also comprise:

Close the baseband circuit or the radio circuit of this radio network device.

3. method according to claim 1, wherein this radio network device is to be arranged in the universal serial bus device.

4. method according to claim 3 also comprises:

Inform that console controller is to stop polling mechanism.

5. method according to claim 1, wherein this information is for sending traffic indication message.

6. method according to claim 1, wherein this information is for sending the traffic indication message number.

7. method according to claim 1, wherein this information is for sending the traffic indication message cycle.

8. method according to claim 1, wherein this first battery saving mode is not online battery saving mode; And this second battery saving mode is online battery saving mode.

9. method according to claim 1 is realized by firmware.

10. a power supervisor is applicable to the electric source modes of controlling radio network device, and this radio network device is to operate in not on line state or on line state, and this power supervisor includes:

Detecting unit is used for detecting the mode of operation of this radio network device to produce testing result; And

The electric source modes control unit is coupled to this detecting unit, is used for controlling according to this testing result of this detecting unit this electric source modes of this radio network device;

Wherein, indicate this radio network device when this testing result of this detecting unit and operate in this not during on line state, this electric source modes control unit is controlled this radio network device and is entered first battery saving mode; And

When this testing result of this detecting unit indicates this radio network device to operate in this on line state,, enter second battery saving mode to control this radio network device according to the information in the beacon that this radio network device received.

11. power supervisor according to claim 10, wherein this detecting unit, periodically detects this radio network device and whether operates in this not on line state behind power initiation in this radio network device, whether enters this first battery saving mode with decision.

12. power supervisor according to claim 10, wherein when this radio network device entered this first battery saving mode, this electric source modes control unit was closed the baseband circuit or the radio circuit of this radio network device.

13. power supervisor according to claim 10, wherein this radio network device is to be arranged in the universal serial bus device.

14. power supervisor according to claim 13, wherein when this radio network device entered this first battery saving mode, this electric source modes control unit informed that console controller is to stop polling mechanism.

15. power supervisor according to claim 10, wherein this information is for sending traffic indication message.

16. power supervisor according to claim 10, wherein this information is for sending the traffic indication message number.

17. power supervisor according to claim 10, wherein this information is for sending the traffic indication message cycle.

18. power supervisor according to claim 10, wherein this first battery saving mode is not online battery saving mode; And this second battery saving mode is online battery saving mode.

19. power supervisor according to claim 10 is realized by firmware.

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